January 2019 report Written by S.Y. Landau, Editor-in-Chief, Small Ruminant Research (Elsevier) Small Ruminant Research (SRR) is the official journal of the International Goat Association (IGA). Good science, relevance to small ruminant farming, and novelty are the major criteria of publication of our journal. Maintaining the quality of English is an ever-lasting challenge, as the majority of our contributors, reviewers and associate editors are not native English speakers. Mrs. Tova Deutch surveyed the 1618 published papers from the last 6 years to identify strengths and weaknesses. The results are presented HERE (for IGA members only). Want to keep reading? Become an IGA member! You can join online through the IGA Store or email [email protected]
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My Visit to Siddhi, Chitwan, August 25-28, 2018
Written by Yumiko Kawamura, IGA member from Japan Thanks to the wonderful assistance of Heifer International Nepal, I had the opportunity to visit Siddhi, a hillside village in Chitwan, where most residents are from the Chepang people group. The purpose of my visit to Siddhi was to witness the current livelihood status of Chepang and how goat initiatives deployed in 2012 by Heifer International Nepal are progressing. The Chepang are one of 125 ethnic groups found in Nepal. They live in central Nepal along the steep slopes of the Mahabharat range from 45 meters to 1,400 meters above sea level. They are found in Makawanpur, Dhading, Chitwan and Gorka Districts, which are among Nepal’s 75 administrative districts. Based on their low economic status and threatened cultural identity, the Chepang are categorized as a highly marginalized indigenous group by National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) (World Vision Advocacy Forum, 2009). According to a 2011 population census, there are 68,399 Chepang people in Nepal among which 34,640 are males and 33,779 females; and more than 97% of Chepang people live in rural areas (CBS, 2011). Written by Beth Miller, IGA President The Fourth Asian-Australasian Dairy Goat conference (AADGC 2018) was held at Tra Vinh University, Vietnam with nearly 200 participants from 19 countries in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. The theme was Strengthening Development of Dairy Goat Production Adapting to Climate Change. All the papers are published in the proceedings (ISBN 978-604-9). They are also available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NR-FA1XVARRSWgVbFjvtj47jt-IEnk_A/view. Dairy goat production is increasing across Asia as farmers take advantage of increased prices for goat milk, and governments search for sustainable agricultural activities in the face of climate change. However, many challenges occur when new farmers take up dairy goat production, especially if they do not have strong livestock or commercial background. Training and technology are two key components of successful dairy goat enterprises, as well as markets and transportation. Key research topics include identification of the genetic merit of locally adapted breeds, and development of new and inexpensive feed resources so dairy goats can reach their genetic potential of milk production. Written by Yoko Tsukahara, IGA Board member The Asian Regional Conference on Goats (ARCG2018) was held at Amity University, Rajasthan, Jaipur, India on Oct. 22-26, 2018. The theme entitled “Current Challenges in Goat Industry and the Strategies to Combat in Asia Region.” A total of 287 researchers, professors, and producers from 14 countries including, Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Hungary, Japan, Mongolia, Spain, and the USA attended the meeting. The scientific program included keynote addresses, expert talks, oral and poster presentations, and brainstorming and valedictory sessions. The participants enjoyed a warm traditional welcome during the technical tour at the Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute which produces and conducts research on pure Sirohi goats, varieties of sheep and rabbit breeds, veterinary medical plants, and so on. Burkina Faso study quantifies impact of sustainable intensification on household food security9/20/2018 Sustainable intensification (SI) of agricultural production has become a predominant theme in development agendas in West Africa. But despite the availability of a wide range of technologies for adoption, uptake has been very minimal. One reason for the often-disappointing uptake of technologies could be poor targeting of households. Researchers at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have analysed and quantified the potential food security impact of boosting a set of sustainable intensification options in Burkina Faso to better identify which technologies would fit the characteristics of specific households. The research activities were designed to be solution-focused to meet the needs of farmers and were implemented in Seno and Yatenga provinces in the Sahelian zone of the country. The basis of the study is that there is a great potential for smallholder farmers engaged in crop-livestock systems, to produce more in a given area of land, thereby improving productivity, food security and nutrition while preserving ecosystem services. READ MORE… Prepared by Javier Chaurand and special thanks to Jean-Marie Luginbuhl for Spanish translation. The XIV Goat, Cheese and ‘Cajeta’ International Expo was held from October 12 to 15, 2017 at the facilities of ECOFÓRUM in Celaya. The event was inaugurated by Mr. Víctor Hugo Pineda Martínez, State SAGARPA (Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food) delegate representing the Secretary of Agriculture, Ing. Javier Guizar Macías, Federal SAGARPA delegate in Jalisco, Ing. Paulo Bañuelos Rosales, Secretary of Agrifood and Rural Development of the government of the state of Guanajuato (SDAyR), MVZ José Francisco Gutiérrez Michel, Sub Secretary of Agrifood and Rural Development of the government of the state of Guanajuato and the Municipal President of Celaya Ing. Ramón Ignacio Lemus Muñoz Ledo accompanied by various officials of the municipal administration. In addition, members of the board of directors of the national association of registered goat breeders, and regional cattle unions from the state of Guanajato and Querétaro were also part of the inauguration ceremony. Written by Emilia Bagnicka, IGA Regional Director for Eastern Europe
Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Polish Academy of Sciences in Jastrzebiec, Poland I attended two conferences as IGA Country Representative* in 2017. Written by Livio Costa-Júnior, IGA Country Representative for Brazil and Professor of Parasitology at the Federal University of Maranhão
The Northeast Region of Brazil has 90% of the 10 million goats present in the country (Figure 1). The Northeast is characterized by an area of 981,821 km² of a semi-arid interior and 3,317 km of coastline, where it has the highest human population density and a large consumer market for products from this semi-arid region. Consumption occurs in specialized restaurants and bars in all areas of the Northeast region with several typical dishes. Board members of the International Goat Association (IGA) attended the 2017 National Symposium on Sheep and Goat and the 7th Member Meeting of Sheep and Goat Branch of the Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine from August 18 to 21, 2017 at Shijiazhuang, China. A total of 14 Board members, the Executive Director, and members of the advisory board from different areas of the world met together to discuss further development of the Association. Great appreciation was expressed to Dr. Yingjie Zhang, Professor of the Agricultural University of Hebei, President of the Sheep and Goat Branch of the Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, and his student Ms. Xuejiao Yin for their dedication to organizing the trip.
Written by Juan Capote, IGA past president In 2016, Beth Miller as IGA president and I were invited by Prof. Binyun Cao from Northwest A&F University to participate the following year in a conference concerning the dairy goat industry. Beth Miller could not attend due to scheduling conflicts, so I went as IGA representative and also as Honorary President of the conference Organizing Committee. The conference, titled “The International Conference of Dairy Goat Industry Development & International Symposium on Dairy Goat Industry Technology” took place on October 10 to 12, 2017 in Quianxian, Shaanxi province. During this trip, I visited three large factories: one just completed, another one in construction and another one in the planning stages. It was my 6th visit to China as an IGA officer. In addition, I had been the guide of a Chinese delegation who visited Spain in 2015. |
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